Lucerne hammer
Also known as: Luzerner Hammer, Mordaxt
A polearm of Swiss infantry and town guards with a hammer head of four spikes, a rear beak and a long top spike, about 1.5 metres long.
Quick Facts
SwitzerlandAbout the weapon
The Lucerne hammer is a polearm with a hammer head bearing several spikes, a long rear beak and an even longer top spike. According to English sources, it was given its shape by smiths in central Switzerland around the 1470s; German sources place it in the 14th to 16th centuries. It is named after Lucerne, according to some because of the number of pieces held in the arsenal there, according to others because of a mass find near the city. Period documents call it die Hamer or Mordaxt. Some researchers see in it a later form of the bec de corbin, though the classification is disputed. The steel head carries a hammer of four spikes, a slightly downward-curved rear beak and a top spike that grew longer over the 16th century. The weapon measures about 1.5 metres and is held with both hands. Unlike the bec de corbin, it was used mainly to strike with the hammer. The spike targeted the gaps in plate armour, the beak was used to pull riders from the saddle, and the hammer dented plates or tore mail. It was used on foot by both footmen and knights in duels. Swiss town guards carried it on patrol, at executions and in escorts as late as the 17th century, long after it had left the battlefield. Today it serves as a parade weapon and, alongside the halberd, is a favourite weapon in the group duels of Historical Medieval Battle.
Parts of the weapon
- Head
- Hook — bec
- Spike — dague
- Shaft — Schaft